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🎙 INTERVIEW [FREE]: Poetry, Rumi, and Creativity: In Conversation with Haleh Liza Gafori
** This is a LIVE interview with Haleh Liza Gafori about the craft of writing and reality of building a writing career. Attendees will be sent a recording after the interview. **
What does it mean to translate the voice of a mystic across centuries and languages? How can poetry help us understand ego, compassion, and the soul’s deepest longings?
As a child, Haleh Liza Gafori listened to her parents recite Rumi’s Persian poetry. Decades later, she discovered that her own creative path would be to bring Rumi’s words to life for new generations. A poet, performer, and translator, Haleh has since become one of the leading interpreters of Rumi’s work in English. Her acclaimed collection Gold: Poems by Rumi has been adopted by universities across the United States, and her latest volume, Water: Poems by Rumi (NYRB Classics, 2025), continues her exploration of love, spirit, and language as a bridge between worlds.
Join us for a conversation with Haleh about poetry, translation, and the enduring resonance of Rumi’s words—eight centuries on.
We’ll also explore:
Haleh’s journey into translating Rumi
Her Iranian heritage and how it shapes her relationship to Rumi’s work.
The history of Rumi and why his work continues to inspire worldwide
How she curates and translates from The Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi’s 40,000 verses
The art of reframing ancient themes for modern audiences
How she brings Rumi’s work to life as a performance artist
The relationship between language, rhythm, and spiritual practice
About Haleh Liza Gafori
Haleh Liza Gafori is a New York City-born translator, performance artist, writer, and educator of Persian descent. A 2024 MacDowell fellow, she has translated the poetry of the Persian mystic and sage Rumi. Her book of translations entitled Gold: Poems by Rumi, was published by New York Review Books in 2022. Her second volume of translations, Water: Poems by Rumi, was released in 2025, also by NYRB Classics. Supported by an NYSCA grant, Gafori has created a musical and cross-media performance based on the book and has presented her work, via performances and lectures and workshops, at institutions such as Lincoln Center, Stanford University, the Academy of American Poets, and Sarah Lawrence College. Her book of translations Gold has been incorporated in the curricula of universities across the country.
Your London Writers' Salon Hosts:
Parul Bavishi and Matt Trinetti are the co-founders of the London Writers' Salon, creators of the webby-nominated Writers' Hour daily writing sessions, and hosts of the London Writers' Salon podcast.
Parul Bavishi has been an editor for over a decade. In addition to running LWS she helps thriller, YA and non-fiction writers level up their craft and get published. She writes and edits for the Story Grid. She has worked as an editor and literary scout at Random House, Quercus & Eccles Fisher. She analyses TV hit shows (Killing Eve, Ozark, Game of Thrones) on the Story Grid Showrunners Podcast.
Matt Trinetti is a writer, publisher, TEDx speaker, and facilitator. In addition to running LWS, Matt designs programs to help unfulfilled professionals pursue creative work, start businesses, and reinvent their careers. Matt's work has appeared in Quartz, Observer, Creative Mornings, and on his blog GiveLiveExplore.
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